The Next Man?

The one thing that the Ravens have that teams that joined the league around the same time (Panthers, Jags, Texans, NEW Browns) don't have is TRADITION!  Tradition comes from a history of having great and memorable players who are drafted by the team who go out and create a legacy on and off the field.  Those guys are vocal and deliberate leaders who play often speak louder than their voices, but by sheer will of personality and determination of spirit, make their teams known, make their teams winners, and make their teams feared.  Oakland, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, New York Giants, Chicago, Green Bay, Baltimore Colts, and others have all had those players.  Alzado, Long, Matuszak, Lamonica, Bradshaw, Green, Blount, Harris, Montana, Rice, Young, Lott, Taylor, Carson, Simms, Martin, Sayers, Butkus, Payton, Singletary, Hornung, Starr, Nitschke, Favre, Unitas, Bubba, Donovan, Marchetti; all of those guys are either in the Pro Football Hall of Fame or their teams' Walls/ Halls of Fame or etched in NFL legend.
Well the Ravens have guys of their own, Ogden, Boulware, Reed, and of course, Lewis.  These men built a legacy of winning here in Baltimore, a legacy that is dedicated to winning and winning championships.  Those games were won by these men leaving it all on the field while demanding greatness from themselves and the men around them.  These guys and others are all part of Baltimore Ravens lure.  Those names were on the lips of all coaches and coordinators who had to play against the Ravens for years and certainly on the voices of us fans every Sunday they laced up and ran onto the field.  All of these men were drafted by the organization led by Ozzie Newsome and they all met and then exceeded all expectations because they knew they were part of this legacy.  Without a doubt this legacy was initiated by players that came to Baltimore from the then Cleveland Browns.  Guys like Ogden and Lewis took hold of that ethic, grew it, then passed it down and forward. Ray taught it to Boulware and Reed who in turn demanded that level of commitment from the new and younger guys who were drafted after them.  Lots of the newer guys tried and failed but there were a few, who were as exceptional as their mentors and have carried on that tradition of leading and playing all out.  On Offense that guy is Joe Flacco, on Defense, Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata.


But this off-season Ngata was traded to Detroit and the first game of this season Suggs was lost for the season.  This Sunday, September 20, 2015 will mark the first time in the 20 year history of the Ravens that there will be no Lewis, Reed, Ngata or Suggs playing for the Ravens.  At first glance, it looks as though that continued legacy chain has been broken.  Baltimore fans have become so spoiled by the idea of "next man up" that no one seemed to be ready for this day to come; no one except Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens' front office.  Ozzie and crew understand that the greatness of a team is not just in who has come through the doors and moved on, but who to put on the field to keep that legacy moving forward.  Fans may not be ready nor prepared, but the Ravens feel they are.  With successful successive drafts that brought in young players many fans had not paid attention to, all is not lost just because Ngata and Suggs aren't playing in 2015.

If, as some people want to think, Suggs will never play for the Ravens again, rest assured, there are guys playing now who are ready.  Jimmy Smith, is that link to Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Suggs; and in turn he is that link for CJ Mosely, Brandon Williams, and Timmy Jernigan.  Joe Flacco will be that standard bearer for the Offense; a standard that really STARTS with Joe, as he had no real connection with Ogden.  Who will be that next man on Offense?  Joe has a good five to eight good years left to be the Quarterback of the Ravens, but is there a young guy on that side of the ball who will carry it forward?  Time will answer that one.  But right now, for the "team"?  The Ravens HAVE, that next man already, in spades.

2014 - The End of a Dream (Nightmare) Season

Bringing in Gary Kubiak as the new OC, drafting CJ Mosley, signing Steve Smith Sr., Ray Rice debacle, extending Suggs, Ray Lewis statue dedication, getting swept by Cincy, putting 19 players on IR, setting team Offensive records for Joe, the running game and improved stats all around, losing Ngata for the last 4 regular season games, making the playoffs, beating the hated Steelers in the 1st round, losing the Divisional round to the Patriots and a whining Tom Brady; the Ravens 2014 season was certainly an up and down adventure with more plot twists then a Shonda Rhimes TV series.
  
All and all, going from 8-8 to 10-6 and a playoff victory is a big improvement.  Some of the more ardent fans might still be upset that the team is not playing for another Lombardi trophy this year, but seriously, don't you think that expectation "now" is a little shortsighted based on what we were all talking about at the end of 2013?  Some fans were actually calling for Harbaugh's head and Ozzie to retire.  But after drafting what could arguably be the best class since 1996, signing Kubiak and bringing in Steve Smith, everyone is once again singing the praises of the Wizard of Oz.
  
The crown jewel of that class was of course CJ Mosley, who was not supposed to be available the Ravens were on the clock in round 1.  Arch rival Pittsburgh passed on him to take Ryan Shazier, linebacker from Ohio State.  And though that player had an impact on their season, CJ missed no games, and no starts for Baltimore, led the team in tackles and reminded everyone of a young Ray Lewis with some of the instinctive plays he made.  He should be the hands down favorite to win Defensive Rookie Of the Year. Having a full professional weight training program to use this off season should make the kid even stronger and faster.  The sky should be the limit for CJ and hopefully next season we fans should get a real chance to see 2013's drafted inside backer Arthur Brown get on the field and show why the Ravens drafted him in the second round.  Speaking of draft class from 2013, Matt Elam continued to disappoint, whereas Brandon Williams came into HIS own and proved to be a real force up the middle.  Playing alongside 2014 2nd round STEAL, Timmy Jernigan and perennial super star Haloti Ngata and very good players like De'Angelo Tyson, Williams proved to be a hard assignment for most opposing interior Offensive linemen.  Every team in the NFC South found out that the Ravens D-Line was FOR REAL in 2014 as the Ravens dominated and swept every one of those teams while beating them up as well as beating them on the scoreboard.

Getting back to the Offensive side of the ball, the Ravens scored the major coupe of the year by getting former Texans Head Coach Gary Kubiak to replace the well intentioned but clearly ill suited Jim Caldwell as Offensive Coordinator.  The results were a stunning improvement in wins as well as stats. With the late Sunday announcement from Coach Kubes that he is staying with the Ravens and not accepting invitations to even interview with other teams should make every true Ravens fan jump for joy and have real excitement for the future of the team as well as Joe Flacco's continued development.

Along with Joe doing bigger and better things how can we overlook "Little" Justin Forsett and how he came in here and made the entire league forget Ray Rice?  The kid came in here to be a role player but ended up not only becoming the starting Running Back over incumbent Bernard Pierce, but leading the league in yards per carry, and most runs of 20 yards or more.  Joining Forsett was fellow former Texan castoff Owen Daniels, who also came here to play a limited role but ended up starring after Flacco and fan favorite, Tight End Dennis Pitta re-injured his surgically repaired hip and once again landed on season ending IR.  Where would the passing game have been without Daniels and rookie TE Crockett Gilmore to give Joe big, talented, solid targets to throw to?

"Ice Up Son!"  That was the warning issued by Free Agent signee Steve Smith Sr to all opposing teams when he arrived in Baltimore.  The persistently pissed off small framed receiver gave the Ravens that dependable yet determined attitude and work ethic missing from the team in 2013.  Adding to that passing attack were solid performances from Torrey Smith, Marlon Brown and Kamaar (Klay) Aiken.  Torrey was once again solid if not spectacular, and Brown and Aiken made enough splash plays to warrant larger roles in the game plan in 2015.  7th round pick rookie WR from Columbia, MD Michael Campanaro splashed in games too, making his NFL debut with a TD catch in Tampa Bay.  That is a memory that can't ever be taken away.

Sure, there was plenty to cheer about in 2014, but the good came with a boat load of bad too.  Training camp injuries to young D-linemen Kapron Lewis-Moore and Brent Urban foreshadowed what would become a trend for the Ravens in 2014, season ending injuries that would keep the team brass and us fans constantly looking for "the next man up".  As I previously stated, 19 players went on IR for the Ravens during this season yet the boys never gave up, never "folded their tents", never got down on themselves.  When Lardarius Webb was down recovering from from injuries, Jimmy Smith held down the Defensive backfield.  When Webb came back, it seemed like the very next play Smith went down, though in truth it wasn't nearly as fast as that.  But a position under a constant dark cloud was Corner.  It seemed as though as soon as the Ravens found someone to come in and start, someone else would go down. No need to learn a guy's name, he was only going to play well for a game or 2 before he too would get hurt.  Safeties became corners, players not expected to contribute in 2014 were pressed into service.  The Ravens brought in Will Hill who was plagued by way too many off field issues to justify the Giants keeping him, and he came off of suspension exactly when needed and is looking like he could be a long term answer to replace the void left by Ed Reed.  Another "comer" who was starting to impress was rookie 3rd round pick Terrance Brooks.  Unless Matt Elam has a drastic turn around in 2015, I can definitely see Brooks and Hill becoming the starting Safety tandem, presupposing Hill's issues are a thing of the past.

Look, 2014 was an emotional roller coaster of a season for the Baltimore Ravens but that is Ravens football.  If you don't like it, then you don't know or appreciate OUR team.  This is what we do and how we do.  Every year is exciting and no season is a slam dunk from start to finish.  So as it is, so how it has always been.  In 2012 the Ravens won the Super Bowl with a team that went 10-6 in the regular season, after going 12-4 the year before and losing the AFC Championship game in New England.  If you think you are mad because this 10-6 team once again lost in playoffs to New England, imagine how Terrell Suggs, and Elvis Dumervil feel after being the league leading sack tandem and not going to the Super Bowl.  I think you can bet your bottom dollar that they will come back stronger, madder, and hungrier next season to get the deal done and show the world that the Baltimore Ravens are still a great team even without Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. 

Ice Up Son, the Ravens WILL BE BACK in 2015 and the league had better be prepared.